persistenceinbeliefs,modificationsinbehavior.docVIP

Persistence in Beliefs, Modifications in Behavior: The Effects of War and Separation on Southern Sudanese Culture By Christopher Wilson Part 1: Found by a Lost Boy My fieldwork began in the winter of 2006, when I met Kemp while working with Catholic Charities in Syracuse, NY. From him I learned that the US government allowed 3,600 “lost boys” to enter the country from 2001-2003. The Lost Boys are a group of over 27,000 boys displaced, many also orphaned, during the second phase of the civil war, 1983-2005. These guys left their homes at ages ranging between 5 and 12, and are therefore now in their 20’s. They spent much of their lives on the run and in refugee camps like the famous Kakuma Refugee camp in Kenya. Many, like Kemp, are just now beginning to re-contact their families and engaging in return trips. America welcomes these refugees in with the intent of acculturating them into American society. However, these Sudanese refugees have been remarkably successful in staying true to their Dinka, or Southern Sudanese roots while surviving in the heart of the Western Capitalist world. Kemp had a somewhat common experience relative to other Lost Boys. After spending years in Kenya, mostly at Kakuma Refugee Camp, he arrived in Syracuse in the winter of 2003. He invited me to accompany him on his first return trip home since he ran away at 9 years old. In 2006, he it has been 16 years since he has seen his family. During this time he find out that his father and brothers were killed in a raid, and his mother and two sisters remain in Sudan. Through him I met all my other informants, including 7 lost boys and one elder who I interviewed in Syracuse. I also had lots of informal conversations, did some participant observation in Syracuse and Sudan, and took extensive field notes. I also came up with some basic research questions that I would hope to answer in the coming year. Out of the broader question how has the southern Sudanese community come out of